Illinois Urbana is a very difficult admit for comp sci out of state. If you are focused on CS, consider applying to Ohio State, Indiana, Rensselaer, or Rochester (or VaTech if in Virginia)

Anonymous wrote:If your kid is 4.0+, 1500+ student, what are their safeties?

I told my kids they need to have true safeties. One kid said Boston University and other kid said USC. I told them they should have a few true safeties. I was thinking Penn State.

IMO, top stats kids should think about applying to safeties in RD, if they have made a horrible mistake in identifying target schools during early action. This board gets all up in arms when top stats kids are rejected from their safeties because the schools know there is no way that kid isn't getting in somewhere else higher ranked. It's better time spent correctly identifying target schools (where DC's stats are above median, but acceptances are 20-50%), doing a good job on essays/questions that show understanding and fit with the school, and applying early action to these. These schools should include the in-state flagship(s), which every top stat kid should be applying to at least for the base of comparison (cost, honors college, etc.)

Save the fretting about safeties for January, because top stat kids who are realistic about the process should have a couple of solid acceptances at target and reach schools by then.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC has similar stats to what OP describes. Look at schools in 50-100 range on USNWR (I hate the ratings, but many of these meet the criteria in the first reply to OP). Locally, NC State and Penn State seem to be popular options - and both have excellent honors programs. Good luck.

I know a lot of excellent students who were not accepted at NC State. According to this, their acceptance rate for out of state students is 38%: https://www.collegetransitions.com/blog/how-to-get-into-nc-state-university/

+1. I don't think you can consider NC State from OOS.

*NC State a safety from OOS.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC has similar stats to what OP describes. Look at schools in 50-100 range on USNWR (I hate the ratings, but many of these meet the criteria in the first reply to OP). Locally, NC State and Penn State seem to be popular options - and both have excellent honors programs. Good luck.

I know a lot of excellent students who were not accepted at NC State. According to this, their acceptance rate for out of state students is 38%: https://www.collegetransitions.com/blog/how-to-get-into-nc-state-university/

+1. I don't think you can consider NC State from OOS.

Penn State
Pitt, if applied early
JMU
Florida State

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those are average stats for USC which isn’t a safety for anyone with its current acceptance rate.

I think that depends on which USC. South Carolina is probably a safety at those stats.

There is only 1 USC and it isn't on the east coast.

^
The abbreviation for university of South Carolina is UofSC

Anonymous wrote:DC has similar stats to what OP describes. Look at schools in 50-100 range on USNWR (I hate the ratings, but many of these meet the criteria in the first reply to OP). Locally, NC State and Penn State seem to be popular options - and both have excellent honors programs. Good luck.

+1

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those are average stats for USC which isn’t a safety for anyone with its current acceptance rate.

I think that depends on which USC. South Carolina is probably a safety at those stats.

There is only 1 USC and it isn't on the east coast.

Weighted 4.0, 1480 SAT and mainly applying to LACs. Her favorite safety is Juniata

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid's safety, according to college vine or wise (can't remember) for CS is U of Chicago - Urbana, GA Tech, UMD.

Hard target is CMU and U of Michigan.

Reach: Cal, UCLA, MIT

800 on SAT
Taking MVC right now
5 on AP Calc test

Several 5s on other AP tests.

You need to know your student's class rank / high school GPA before looking for safeties. Again, Georgia Tech CS is not a safety--especially not even a 50/50 shot for a non-resident.

4.0 UW GPA; weighted is 4.6+ Not sure exactly what.
1580 SAT

No class ranking.

Look on the Reddit boards for Ga Tech for last year. There were lots of OOS kids with those stats that were rejected. I have a relative who was in state with essentially those stats who was waitlisted ED and finally got in for summer start.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 4.62 GPA, 1590 SAT DS who applied as a CS major

Safeties:
Penn State
UMN (I think this is an extremely underrated school)
GMU

Agree 100%. Very happy it's on DS's radar considering an urban school is a "requirenent". Cold, but so are Boston, Cleveland and Chicago.

Your kid has been talking to my kid

I've lived in both Chicago and Minneapolis (liked both very much). Yes, both are cold, but the cold in Minneapolis is decidedly worse and lasts longer. For example, on average there are five days each year when the temperature falls below O degrees F in downtown Chicago, versus 21 such days in downtown Minneapolis.

It's only a safety once they are IN. In and you can afford it. Apply Rolling to a few. Apply EA, for what's allowed, to a few.

NO.
Back to drawing board.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 4.62 GPA, 1590 SAT DS who applied as a CS major

Safeties:
Penn State
UMN (I think this is an extremely underrated school)
GMU

Agree 100%. Very happy it's on DS's radar considering an urban school is a "requirenent". Cold, but so are Boston, Cleveland and Chicago.

Your kid has been talking to my kid

Too funny. That's what I've been trying to tell him though...all the kids with the same stats are applying to the same schools. 3.98/4.5/1560. Likely CS. His safeties are Pitt, Ohio State and UMN.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your kid is 4.0+, 1500+ student, what are their safeties?

I told my kids they need to have true safeties. One kid said Boston University and other kid said USC. I told them they should have a few true safeties. I was thinking Penn State.

Those are not safeties, even with those stats. Penn State should be, but the others are not.

FFS. That is the point of this post.